This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I read the July 25 Tribune article titled "Rep. Lockhart removes Snow as head of House's Swallow probe" and what struck me was that this committee has "been given the power to issue subpoenas and interview witnesses under oath as it investigates a string of allegations against (Attorney General John) Swallow."

To me it seems that fits an attorney's job description very well. Yet, despite there being more than a dozen representatives with law degrees, Rep. V. Lowry Snow stepping down leaves Rep. Mike McKell as the lone attorney on the committee. I believe that the legislative legal counsel will give good advice to committee members but, for an issue as serious as this, shouldn't Speaker Becky Lockhart have appointed a few members of the committee experienced in issuing subpoenas and interviewing witnesses under oath, i.e., lawyers?

I hoped that this committee was a step in the right direction to clean up the corruption in our A.G.'s office but nothing I have seen so far gives me any confidence in the Legislature's chosen process.